European Union

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Defiant African Leaders Reject EU Trade Deal

Relations between continents sour over human rights, Mugabe

(Newser) - European-African trade talks at a tense Lisbon summit collapsed in their final session yesterday. If a new agreement isn’t reached by year’s end, the European Union may levy higher tariffs on African exports, further exacerbating tensions between the continents. A new, controversial set of agreements would have dropped...

Germany Rips African Ruler at Trade Talks

Calls human rights in Zimbabwe 'damaging' to Africa's image

(Newser) - Germany blasted Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe today as the EU began a historic trade summit with Africa, Reuters reports. Mugabe listened as German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared Zimbabwe’s human rights crisis “damaging the image of the new Africa.” Such issues loom on the first day of the...

EU Makes Nice With Africa
EU Makes Nice With Africa 

EU Makes Nice With Africa

Europe offers trade pacts that snub human rights; UK refuses to attend Lisbon summit

(Newser) - The EU will pooh-pooh human rights issues this weekend as it woos Africa with new trade pacts at a rare summit in Lisbon, the Economist reports. With China and India snapping up more African resources, Europe plans to offer friendly deals that leave out human rights demands. But the EU's...

Merkel, Sarko Keep Heat on Iran
Merkel, Sarko Keep Heat on Iran

Merkel, Sarko Keep Heat on Iran

Partners insist sanctions are still possible despite new intelligence

(Newser) - Angela Merkel joined Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday in reaffirming their hard line on Iran's nuclear program despite the new American intelligence assessment that weapons development was halted in 2003. "I don't see why we should renounce sanctions," said the French president at a joint press conference in Paris, with...

Motherhood Holds Back EU Women: Study

Domestic duties lock female workers into lower pay, status

(Newser) - Motherhood has its joys, but professional advancement isn’t necessarily one of them, a study of European women shows. Taking on domestic duties has kept them in lower-paying, lower-status jobs; after having kids, women tend to spend more hours at home and not enough in the office to earn promotion....

Iran Hardens Its Stance On Nukes
Iran Hardens
Its Stance
On Nukes

Iran Hardens Its Stance On Nukes

Talks with new rep 'a disaster'; more sanctions may follow

(Newser) - World powers began fleshing out possible out new sanctions against Iran today, a day after its new nuclear negotiator put up a defiant front. Representatives from the US, Russia, China, and other top nations met in Paris, but it will likely be weeks before any sanctions emerge. The meeting comes...

Rich Nations Break Climate Vow to Poor

$1.2B pledge to developing countries is mostly forgotten

(Newser) - Several of the world's richest nations have forgotten about a $1.2 billion pledge to help developed countries cope with climate change, the Guardian reports. The group has doled out less than $185 million so far to help them plan for global warming, defend against floods, and boost conservation. "...

Europeans Go for Coke
Europeans Go for Coke

Europeans Go for Coke

2007 EU report says coke use up by one million

(Newser) - Cocaine is "Europe's stimulant of choice," according to a new study that says nearly five million Europeans used coke this year—a million more than last. The Spanish and British used it most, BBC reports, but Danes and Italians increased their usage most in 2007. Two million Europeans...

Dictator's Granddaughter Sinks Far-Right Euro Bloc

Italian's comments hasten collapse of European Parliament group

(Newser) - The collapse of a far-right party yesterday drew cheers in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Deutsche Welle reports. The final straw in the collapse of the Identity, Tradition, and Sovereignty group came after Alessandra Mussolini—granddaughter of the former dictator—described Romanians as "habitual lawbreakers," prompting Romanian...

EU Eyes Single Telecom Market
EU Eyes Single Telecom Market

EU Eyes Single Telecom Market

European Commission considers EU-wide rules to break up national monopolies

(Newser) - Europe would be a single telecom market under a plan proposed by the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, which argues that cheaper broadband and phone service is being held up by conflicting legislation and national monopolies in member countries. Under the plan, a regulatory body would oversee...

White House Cozy for Sarkozy
White House Cozy for Sarkozy

White House Cozy for Sarkozy

French president wooing 'heart of America'

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday demonstrated why he is dubbed “Sarko l’Américain,” bursting onto the Washington scene hugging and backslapping, reports the New York Times. He clearly enjoyed his first official visit to the US despite lingering pain over his pending divorce from wayward wife, Cé...

Turkey Listens to EU, Will Ease Up on Free Speech

Amendment to law is part of bid for EU membership

(Newser) - Readying itself for possible EU membership, Turkey's government will soften a law that curbs free speech, the AP reports. An amendment expected to pass parliament will limit penalties for Article 301, which punishes "insulting Turkey or Turkish identity" with up to three years in prison. The announcement came hours...

Who Needs a Government? Not Belgium

Country has no PM 149 days after elections; foreign policy on hold

(Newser) - Belgium marks a record 149 days without government today, and the binational kingdom is still mired in protracted coalition talks. It's the most serious political crisis in the nation's history, and yet Belgians are growing used to the situation, the Telegraph reports. "If they are not careful they will...

Russia Stiff Arms International Vote Monitors

Showdown looms with US & EU in bid to keep observers at a distance

(Newser) - Russia may be headed for another showdown with the US and the European Union over its proposals to severely limit the authority of international election monitors. The Kremlin wants to cut the number of observers and ban their reports from publication until after elections. The move comes just months before...

EU Will Lure Skilled Migrants With 'Blue Card'

Universal visa will mimic US Green Card, fill projected shortages

(Newser) - Facing a projected shortfall of 20 million workers by 2030, the European Union unveiled its own version of the US Green Card yesterday in hopes of attracting skilled migrants. The Blue Card will grant workers full employment, social security, and health care benefits, as well as permanent residency after five...

Court Overturns Volkswagen Law, Takeover Likely

Porsche to exercise control in VW

(Newser) - The EU’s highest court today overturned a 47-year-old German law that protected Volkswagen AG from takeover, opening the door for a long-rumored Porsche coup. Porsche already owns 31% of VW, but the law capped their voting rights at 20%. With that impediment gone, “I see Porsche flexing its...

Microsoft Caves on EU Antitrust Suit
Microsoft Caves on EU Antitrust Suit

Microsoft Caves on EU Antitrust Suit

Must allow even open-source software developers access to Windows

(Newser) - Microsoft is conceding its 9-year antitrust battle with the EU after striking a deal that will force the software giant to license its software secrets to anyone who asks at drastically reduced rates. In exchange, the EU has stopped the daily variable fines of up to 3 million euro that...

In Europe, Cars Go the Way of Cigarettes

Auto advertising to carry warning labels about emissions

(Newser) - Carbon health warnings for cars are coming to Europe. Under a European Parliament plan expected to be approved this week, 20% of the space in print car advertising will have to be devoted to cigarette-style warnings about vehicles' carbon emissions and fuel efficiency. The most polluting vehicles will also face...

Russia's New Weight Tips Global Scales

Putin's policies on Kosovo, Iran, nukes ruffle US, Euro feathers

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin's Russia is charging back into the international spotlight, the Christian Science Monitor reports, challenging European and US policies on a variety of issues. Putin has thrown a wrench into Kosovo’s all-but-assured independence from Serbia, backing Belgrade’s efforts to keep the province. Russian planes recently violated Norwegian...

Britain Boycotts African Summit
Britain Boycotts African Summit

Britain Boycotts African Summit

Brown takes stand against torture, intimidation in Mugabe's Zimbabwe

(Newser) - Britain will boycott a summit bringing together leaders of the European Union and  African states because of the expected presence of  Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the Independent  he wants to send a powerful message of concern to the leader responsible for widespread torture and the...

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